A busy professional life can get in the way of our relationships. Whether you’re working 9 to 5, the night shift, or any other combination of hours, you’ve almost certainly had to make sacrifices in your love life to get ahead at work. 

Hey If this all sounds a bit bleak, then don’t worry - there are ways to balance your work and your lovelife! There are millions of people in exactly the same situation as you, daydreaming about all the amazing people they could meet, if it wasn’t for their demanding jobs. 

Dating has changed considerably in recent times, and there are now a number of ways for busy professionals to find that special person, without compromising on their responsibilities at work. Follow these tips and you’ll be able to find someone who will make you even happier to leave the office. 

How To Manage Work And Dating:

1. Be Flexible

There are very few jobs that don’t throw up a surprise every so often. Whether it’s an email from the boss two minutes before you were about to shut down the computer, someone failing to turn up for their shift, or any other form of professional emergency, it can and will happen. 

If this happens to you, let your date know if you’re going to be late or you have to cancel as early as possible. Be honest, be polite, and try to make sure it doesn’t happen the next time you agree to meet up. 

If this happens to someone you’re dating, you have to be reasonable and accept that these things happen. With this in mind, if someone does have to cancel a date because of work, remember that they deserve a second chance. However, don’t allow them to get away with it regularly.

If they’re constantly cancelling on you because of work, that means they’re prioritising their job over you. Constant excuses and apologies get pretty old pretty quick, so if they’re not serious about the relationship, it’s time to move on to someone else who can make time for you. 

If you’re working in a big city, it’s a good idea to find out a location which is roughly halfway between your two workplaces if you’re meeting during the week. This makes it fair for both of you, and ensures that nobody is forced to rush out of the office early to get all the way across town. 

It can be hard to switch off from work altogether, but at the very least don’t check your emails or reply to messages if you’re on a date. There’s nothing more sure to put your date off than to give the impression that you only have room in your life for work. 

Most first dates involve some chat about your job and what you do, so don’t feel as though you have to avoid the subject altogether, but a 15 minute rant about how much you hate that one colleague is certified bad chat. 

It might help if you date someone who does something a little different to you. If you’re both accountants, it might be hard to switch off from discussing work. If there’s a big difference between what you do, there’s a better chance of discussing something besides work. 

The most crucial part of dating when you have a hectic job is to remember to make time for each other. This requires conscious thought and effort, something that we all let slide from time to time.

But if you know you’re busy all week, go out of your way to do something special on the weekend. This can be something as simple as taking them to their favourite restaurant, or something as big as a surprise trip.

Learn why you need to forget everything you thought you knew about online dating, or read our top 5 online dating tips.